Falling Into Place
by beautiful.unusual
Summary: Everyone has their story. This is the story of how Carlos met Kendall.
1. Carlos met Kendall

**September 2001**

"No go." Carlos didn't like being alone. It was his second day in the First grade and it was time for his mother to leave him. She'd tried to leave him the day before, but his hissy-fit could have been heard across the country.

"Mijo. You've got to go to school. Don't you want to grow up and be really smart?" Carlos nodded. He wiped his nose with his sleeve and shifted his tiny backpack up onto his shoulders.

"You're coming back, right? You're not leaving forever?" She kissed his forhead, took off her watch and placed it in his hand.

"When the little hand is here, and the big hand is here, I'll be back to get you." She showed him on the clock face that she would be there promptly at two o'clock. He flashed her a toothy smile and held onto the straps of his backpack tightly. "You think you can wait that long?"

"I can do it!" He jumped up and latched his arms around his mother's neck.

"Alright, 'Litos. Go have fun."

* * *

><p>It had been an hour since his mother left and he was starting to feel a bit homesick. He was sitting in the corner on his own when he looked across the room and saw another boy doing the same. When the boy looked up at hin, Carlos gave a coy wave. The boy smiled and waved back.<p>

After a few moments of waving the little blond boy walked over to Carlos.

"Hi." The small boy sat next to him. "I'm Kendall. I'm six." He proudly shoved his hand in Carlos' face, wrongly displaying five fingers. Carlos giggled and tapped on Kendall's thumb.

"S'only five. You need another finger. See," He took Kendall's hands and pulled his fingers up one by one, counting to six. "six fingers." Kendall examined the fingers and smiled at Carlos.

"You're good at numbers." He crossed his legs and turned to face the small, dark haired boy. "I'm not so good with numbers yet, but I'm a good reader. Mommy said my daddy's not good with numbers, too."

His face lit up like fourth of July as he continued talking about his father. Carlos figured that his dad must have been pretty amazing considering how highly Kendall spoke of him. "I want to be _just_ like him when I grow up."

"He sounds like a superhero. I don't get to see my dad much. He's always out fighting crime and bad guys."

"Mine too!" Kendall leaped in front of Carlos and jumped up and down. "My daddy's off fighting the bad guys that hurt the people in New York. That's what my mommy told me. She said he's in Orangutan, keeping us safe."

"You're dad's fighting monkies?" Carlos had heard the word 'orangutan' on an animal show he'd watched with his mom earlier that week. "Are they evil monkies?"

"Yeah!" The boy pulled the hood of his sweatshirt onto his head, tucking his arms in close to his body. "Evil, zombie monkies!" He screeched and chased Carlos around the room.

The boys spent the rest of the day talking to each other. Carlos really liked Kendall and was happy that he finally had a best friend.

* * *

><p>"'Litos!"<p>

"Mommy!" Carlos ran to his mom and leaped into her arms. "I missed you. You'll never believe what happened today!"

"What happened, baby?" She set him down. He bounced around and excitedly told her everything he'd done. From coloring outside with chalk to eating all of his lunch and helping the teacher clean up, which earned him two gold stars and extra play time with the class' hampster, Benji. "Oh, and I have a best friend! He's awesome, and funny, and he can read really good! His name's Kendall."

He left his mother's side and ran to get his new best friend.

"Kendall, this is my mommy." Kendall hid behind his new best friend.

"Hi, Mrs. Carlos' mom."

"Hello, Kendall. I hear you're really good at reading?" She leaned down so she was eye level with the small boy. He nodded and smiled. "You should come over sometime and help Carlos." The boys exchanged a look and both of them nodded furiously.

"Can he come over today! Please, mommy?"

"Not tonight. We're going out for dinner, tonight. Daddy's waiting." Carlos sulked over to his mother and grabbed her hand. "It was nice to meet you, Kendall" He smiled, and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

"Bye, Carloth. Thee you tomorrow." He waved, and ran back to his spot at the front door, waiting for his mother.

* * *

><p>That weekend, Kendall slept over Carlos' house. He was nervous. Carlos was his best friend, but he'd never spent the night away from his mom and future baby "<em>brother"<em>.

"Will he be okay?" Kendall asked his mom, rubbing her swollen stomach. "Without me there to sing to him tonight, he'll miss me!"

"Your little brother _or_ sister will be just fine without you for one night, Big Man." Kendall smiled at his mother using his father's nickname for him. When he left for Afghanastan, his dad had made it clear to him that he was the man of the house while he was gone. Kendall proudly took on the responsibilities that came with being the big man of the house, even though at the time he didn't understand where his father was going.

"What if he thinks I'm leaving him forever? Then he'll hate me." He pressed his ear to her belly, then spoke clearly into her belly-button. "Don't worry, buddy! I'll be back tomorrow, okay? I'll never leave you!" The baby kicked and he smiled.

"See, the baby knows you love him." She knocked on the door, and waited patiently until it opened.

* * *

><p>"Mom, what if he got lost?" Carlos bounced on the couch as his mother made him and Kendall lunch. "What if he doesn't come? What if he-"<p>

"Calm down, Carlos!" She laughed, wiped her hands on a cloth, and took her son's face in her hands. "He'll be here, soon. I promise."

"Okay, mommy." He kissed her forehead and ran to the window. He saw a green van pull up in front of the house, then Kendall and his mother stepped out. "He's here! Mommy, he's here!" He bounced over to his mom, and dragged her by her arm to the window. "Kendall's talking to his mom's belly." He laughed.

"She must be pregnant. Kendall's gonna be a big brother." She smiled and walked Carlos over to the couch.

"I want to be a big brother!" Carlos jumped up on the couch behind his mom. "Can you get pregnant? Please, please, please pleaaaaaaasssee!"

"It's not that easy, baby. We'll talk about this later." She laughed. "Much later!" There was a knock at the door and Carlos ran over to open it.

"Kendall! You're here!" He grabbed his friend and squeezed him tight. "I thought you weren't gonna come!"

"Why would I ever do that?" He hugged his friend back and laughed. After their hug ended, the boys ran straight up to Carlos' room. He shut the door and jumped on the bed.

"This is my room." He looked over at Kendall, who was sitting on the beanbag chair in the corner, looking around. "You like it?" Carlos was desperate for his friend's approval. He wanted everything to be perfect. This was the first friend he'd ever had, he didn't want small details to mess anything up.

"I wish my room looked like this." He got up and sat down next to Carlos on the bed. "You've got those cool glow-in-the-dark star stickers! I wanted some, but my mom said they might bother the baby. We have to share a room." Kendall stuck his toungue out and shook his head.

"I wish I had a little brother." He walked over to the picture of him and his older brother on his bedside table. "I'd be a better big brother than Toni."

"Who's Toni?" Kendall looked over Carlos' shoulder at the picture in his hands.

"My brother." He groaned and jumped back onto the bed. "He's watching us tonight."

"I wish I had an older brother."

* * *

><p>Carlos' mom and dad went out for their annual date night, leaving Antonio to watch the boys. He ordered them pizza, and while they were eating, they heard the doorbell ring.<p>

"Shit. That's Leah. She's early." He changed the channel from Nickelodeon to MTV and turned to the boys. "Okay, brats. Upstairs." Carlos put down his pizza and stood up on the couch, becoming eye level with the older boy.

"I'm telling mom you swore in front of me and that you have a girl over!" He put his hands on his hips. "Mom said no girls when she and daddy aren't home."

"You tell her that, I'll tell her what really happened to her blue dress." He pushed him down onto the couch. Carlos' eyes started to water, but he didn't want to cry in front of his new friend. Kendall would think he was a baby.

"Now go upstairs. Both of you! Now!" Emphasizing the last word with a shove towards the stairs. The boys made it to the top of the stairs and looked down. A lanky, olive-skined brunette ambled through the door.

"She's pretty."

"She's dumb. She ruins everything." Carlos crossed his arms and looked back down at the scene unfolding downstairs. Antonio and Leah were now on the couch, kissing. "Gross!" Carlos exclamed in an almost silent whisper yell.

"It's not gross. Mommy said it's beautiful. Something that people do to show how much they love each other." The boys made their way up to Carlos' room and sat on the bed. "My mom kisses my daddy all the time!"

"But I hate Leah. She took my brother away from me." He folded his arms. Kendall didn't know what to do. He didn't want his friend to be upset at his first sleepover.

"We should make a blanket tent!" Kendall quickly ran around Carlos' room, gathering all the blankets he could carry. "Me and my dad used to do this all the time!"

After being heavily directed, Carlos moved all of the chairs in his room to their places. The boys ran downstairs to get the pizza and flashlights. They spent the rest of the night watching movies, together.

"Carlos?" Kendall yawned. Carlos rubbed his eyes and looked over at the blonde. "You're my best friend."

"You too, Kendall."

"I love you."

* * *

><p>In October, the boys went out for Halloween together as evil clowns. In December, they spent the week before Christmas together. They got each other video games, and played them together as soon as they were opened. They became insperable.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>June 2002<strong>

Kendall's seventh birthday party. One of the first non-familial parties Carlos had been able to remember going to. It was an outerspace themed party. Kendall loved space, and the planets. Pluto was his favorite, Carlos remember from a conversation earlier on during school. Carlos walked over to the table, holding his mother's hand.

"I'm going to go over there and talk to Mrs. Knight. You okay?" He nodded and let go of her hand. He walked over to the table, and set down his gift. It was a full, hot wheels track with ten cars. He'd picked it out especially so he and Kendall could play with it together.

"Carlos!" Kendall shrieked from the bouncy house. He jumped out, and pulled his friend into a hug. "You made it! Come on!" He said as he pulled his friend over to the inflated castle.

* * *

><p>Later, Kendall opened his presents. Carlos' face lit up when he saw how happy Kendall was with his cars. "Thanks, buddy!" They hugged. Carlos looked over his shoulder and saw Kendall's mom with two men in green-camouflage suits.<p>

"Kendall, who are they?" Kendall turned around and smiled.

"That's Phil! He works with my dad." He got up and ran over to his mom. She looked upset, angry even. He backed away a little before calling for her. "Mommy, is dad-"

"Sweetie, go give this to Katie, alright? Then go play with your friends." She handed him a bottle and smiled, but Kendall wasn't stupid. She was hurting, something was wrong. "Mommy's fine, okay? Go have fun."

Everyone would soon find out that Mr. Knight wouldn't be coming home.

* * *

><p>So this is a different kind of story. I don't exactly know where it's going relationship wise, but I have a general idea. Everything will <strong><em>fall into place<em>** later. See what I did there?


	2. Kendall met Logan

July 2004

* * *

><p>July 10th came much quicker than Kendall expected. He'd spent the entire night before at Carlos' house, promising his best friend that he wouldn't find another one at camp that summer.<p>

"You ready, bigman?" His mother had called him that daily since his father had died. After June of 2002, Kendall hated the nickname.

"Don't call me that." He set his backpack in the trunk of the van, hopped through to the backseat and closed it from the inside. "It's a stupid nickname."

* * *

><p>Camp was fun, but he wished that Carlos was there with him. As they'd gotten older, he'd become the more outgoing of the pair, making Kendall the meek and quiet one.<p>

"Hi." He turned around and was greeted by the toothy smile of a gangly, pale boy with light brown hair. "You're Kendall, right? I'm your new bunk buddy."

Kendall smiled and went back to throwing rocks in the lake. He noticed that the boy had sat down on a boulder behind him, watching the stones skip across the lake.

"What's your name?" The boy looked around, confused. "I'm talking to _you_." Kendall laughed. The boy smiled.

"I'm Logan." He smiled and crossed his legs, indian style on the rock. He waited a few minutes before interrupting the silence. "So does this mean we're friends? Because it would be really nice to have a friend to do stuff with around here." Kendall laughed again.

"Sure, kid. Why the hell not?" He threw the rest of the rocks in his hand into the lake, and sat next to Logan.

"My mom says you shouldn't say words like that." Kendall put his arm around the boy's shoulder. "She says it means that you're not smart enough to think of a better word."

"I just told you that you're my friend and you call me dumb? Way to go, Logie." Kendall got up and walked back up toward his cabin, with Logan close behind him.

"I wasn't calling you dumb, I was just telling you what my mom thinks." He caught up to the boy and stood in front of him. "Did you call me Logie?"

"Yeah, I did. Is that a problem?" The brunette shook his head. "Cool. You can make up a nickname for me later. Anything but Kenny's alright."

"Why not Kenny?" Logan lifted his head and walked headfirst into Kendall, who had stopped walking.

"That's Carlos' nickname for me. No one else can call me that."

"Who's Carlos?"

"My best friend." Kendall smiled thinking about Carlos. "The best person in the entire universe."

* * *

><p>"Mom, how long now?"<p>

"Thirty days, sweetie. Kendall comes home in thirty days."

"But I don't want to wait thirty days." He whined and sat at the table, banging his head down on it.

"You could write him a letter, and we could mail it to him while he's at camp." She walked to the drawer and placed the pen and paper she found on the table. "Write."

* * *

><p>"Mail!" The counsler burst through the door, dropping mail on each of Kendall's cabinmate's beds. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, knowing that he wouldn't get anything. When he walked back in the room, Logan was on his bed reading his letter.<p>

"You got something, man." He threw the letter at Kendall and saw his face light up when he read the return address. "Who's it from?"

"Carlos!" He jumped onto the bed and ripped the envelope open. Three things fell out. Two pictures and a letter. He opted to read the letter first.

_Dear Kendall, _

_I miss you. Which is why I'm writing this letter. I bet you're having a ton of fun at camp. I wish I was there with you, because it's super boring here. Good news, I got a dog! You know the one we played with at the shelter when we went on that field trip last year? Well I got him! I named him Sparky. He's really cute, and he really loves peanut butter. He reminds me of you, because he likes to run around in circles and he runs into the glass door sometimes. Your mom told me that Katie's walking now. She misses you too. She thinks Katie might start talking soon. This summer reading project we have to do is stupid. The book's about a dumb mouse. Anyways, I dont' really have anything else to tell you. You should write me back and tell me about camp stuff. _

_I miss you!_

**-Carlos **

_Oh, and I'm gonna put in a picture of Sparky and a picture of Katie walking that your mom gave to me to give to you. :)_

**-Carlos again. **

_And I miss you. _

**-Still Carlos. **

Kendall laughed, and looked at the pictures. Sparky was a small german shepard mix, with a black spot over his eye and one floppy ear. He picked up the picture of Katie and smiled to himself.

"Aww. Who's that?" Logan asked, peering over his friend's shoulder.

"That's my baby sister. Katie." He handed the picture to Logan and stared down at the picture of Carlos and Sparky. He genuinly missed his best friend with all his heart. Kendall decided that on the coming Friday, he would write Carlos a letter instead of playing silly camp games.

* * *

><p>"Carlos! Go get the mail!" He heard Antonio yell from the kitchen. Carlos ran from his room, down the stairs and out the door to the mailbox. He shuffled through the small pieces of paper.<p>

"Mom. Mom. Dad. Mom. Dad. Magazine. Carlos!" He ran into the house, threw the rest of the mail on the table and ran back up to his room. He sat down on the bed and opened the letter.

_Dear Carlos, _

_I miss you, too! I'll be home in 20 days though! That's really soon. You're so lucky your parents let you get Sparky. As soon as I get back, I'm gonna come over and play with him. I guess he is like me if he loves peanut butter and running into your back summer reading book is really stupid. I gave up on it by chapter ten. I made a new friend. His name's Logan. I think you'll like him. He wants to be a doctor when grows up. Either that or a marine biologist. You like animals and stuff, right? He's gonna be going to school with us this year. He's new in town. Isn't that awesome? He's really cool, but not as cool as you. He says hi. _

_Well, I've gotta go play dodgeball. I love you! _

**-Kenny **

Carlos smiled at Kendall using his nickname to sign the letter. He pulled a polaroid from the bottom of the envelope. A picture of Kendall and a skinny brunette boy making silly faces at the camera. The label read _"Me and Logie"_ Something about the picture saddened Carlos, but he didn't know why.

"Logie? Why don't I get a nickname?" He put the picture back in it's casing and threw it onto his bedside table. "Stupid Logan."

**August 2004**

* * *

><p>"KENNY!" Carlos shouted as Kendall ran from his van to Carlos' front door. Kendall had been home for a day already and he'd barely been able to sleep last night knowing that he'd see his best friend in the morning. He scooped up his small friend into a bone crushing hug.<p>

"I missed you, Carlos!" He put his friend down and sighed. "Where's Sparky?"

"Upstairs in my room. Race 'ya!" He shouted before they bolted up the stairs. Carlos won. Kendall always let Carlos win. He sat down on Carlos' bed and watched the boy play around with his dog. Throwing the toy across the room, letting the dog bring it back, then throwing it again. He fell backwards on the bed, laying down, happy to be back at his best friend's house.

"Kenny?" Kendall shot up off the bed at the sound of his name. He raised his eyebrows in concern. "Why don't I have a nickname? You gave one to _Logan_." Kendall noticed how mad Carlos had sounded when he mentioned his camp friend's name.

"Do you really want one?" He sat up on his knees. Carlos nodded, throwing the toy back across the room. Kendall put a finger to his chin and thought for a while. "_Carly_."

"But that's a girl's name..."

"You said you wanted a nickname, you got one. Now throw the toy, Carly!" Carlos laughed and threw the toy back to Sparky. Kendall had missed hearing Carlos laugh.


	3. Carlos met James

October 2004

* * *

><p>Logan, Kendall and Carlos had ended up in the same homeroom and reading classes. Lucky for them, they fell into the J through Q last name group. They'd been in school for a few weeks and Carlos had grown fond of Logan. They'd all pushed their desks into a litle square of four. Leaving them with an empty desk that Carlos threw his trash in when he was too lazy to get up. They mostly used it as extra storage for their own stuff.<p>

About a month into school, they'd gotten a new student. His name was James Diamond. He was tall, slightly pudgy, and had dark brown hair that covered his eyes. He sat with the three, at the empty desk that Carlos spent a whole recess cleaning out. James had stayed behind to help him.

"I'm Carlos." He smiled up at the boy as he pulled out a twinkie wrapper and threw it behind him in the trashcan. "I sit there." He pointed to his desk. "Logan sits there, and Kendall sits there."

The boy nodded and continued to pull the trash out of the desk. "Do you talk?" Carlos blurted out. It was a thought that hadn't quite made it through the filer before it'd slipped out of his mouth.

"I like you." James laughed. Carlos liked James too. He seemed nice, and he had really chubby, red cheeks. Like Santa, Carlos thought. He knew that he'd be a great addition to his group of friends.

December 2004

* * *

><p>Logan, Kendall and James were all sleeping over Carlos' hosue. Kendall had helped them set up their usual tent, and they watched Disney movies on Carlos' tv.<p>

"I'm tired." Kendall yawned. He curled up into his Finding Nemo sleeping bag and turned over. "Night Logan. Night James. Night Carly."

"Night, Kenny. Love you." Carlos was content with the muffled "Love you, too." he heard come from Kendall's direction. He snuggled himself between his sheets and drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, everyone had been picked up but Logan. The two were out back, playing with Sparky when Logan's curiousity got the best of him.

"Carlos, don't you think it's a little girly that you and Kendall tell each other you love each other?" Carlos just shook his head and continued to rub Sparky's belly. "Not even a little?"

"Nope. Kenny's my best friend and I love him, what's girly about that?"

* * *

><p><strong><em>I know, it's really short but I promise that there's a much much much longer chapter coming up soon. Soon might mean later today :)<em>**


	4. Kendall and Carlos

August 2009

* * *

><p>Carlos learned what Logan had meant by "girly" all those years ago. He'd meant gay. Middle School has taught him that. All he wanted was to be with his best friend, but no matter what he did it was deemed gay. Calling him Kenny. Hugging him. Writing him notes in class. It was all gay, according to his classmates. Even to Logan and James sometimes, which stung a lot more.<p>

Carlos soon felt that he was being left behind. James had grown into his body and slimmed down, making him the cockiest teen in the tri-state area. He was hot and boy, did he know it. Logan had grown taller than Carlos, and decided to take a more academic route than their pretty friend. Kendall was the star of the hockey team. All of the other boys, Carlos included, were good but if you wanted _great_, Kendall was your guy. Then there was Carlos, who had yet to find a place. He wasn't smart enough to be a geek like Logan, or pretty enough to be as popular as James, or sporty enough to be the star of the team like Kendall. Day after day, he'd sat in the shadow of his friends waiting for everything to fall into place.

* * *

><p>The night of Buddy Simmons' 14th birthday party was one that Carlos would remember forever. With no adult supervision, the teens got into everything they shouldn't have. Alcohol and weed being the two most popular. Carlos and Logan decided to take a more responsible route and stay sober. They watched over their two stupid friends as they stumbled and stuttered their way around the party.<p>

"Hey, Logie." Carlos sat next to him, drink in hand.

"You're not drinking, _too_...are you? I'm gonna have to make sure all three of you get home safely, great!" He sighed and flipped to another page in the book he'd been reading. Partying wasn't really Logan's thing.

"It's just coke." Carlos assured him as he downed the rest of the red cup's contents. "Where are James and Kendall?"

"James is over there. He's been all over Jenny Tinkler for the past twenty minutes." Carlos could've sworn he heard Logan mumble something about Jenny being a _"stupid bitch"_ but he disregarded the comment.

"Kendall?" He looked over and saw Logan shake his head. He got up and walked from room to room, looking for his blonde best friend.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Faglos." Carlos didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Duncun. Duncun was on the hockey team, and for some reason was hell bent on making Carlos' life a living hell. Carlos opted to keep looking for his friend rather than stay around for the beating he'd probably recieve. "Hey! I was talking to you, _**Fag**_los!"

"You're going to stick with Faglos? Really? Is that all you can come up with?" A punch in the stomach." I could do better than that." Punch in the jaw. "Then again, I'm smarter than you so it's not fair to compare us." A kick in the stomach and Carlos doubled over on the floor. Coughing and hacking, desperarly trying to get the air back into his lungs. He opened his eyes for a moment only to see Duncun and his goons about to finish beating him to death. He closed his eyes.

"L-leave him alone, you d-dick." Kendall voice rang through Carlos' ears and he knew he'd be fine. Well, as fine as he could get after a beating like that.

"Seriously, Kendall? You're gonna defend him?" They laughed. "He's nothing. Just a piece of shit Freshman who needs to learn his place."

"What does that make me?" Kendall slurred harshly at the older boy. "Doesn't m-matter, anyway. He's my best friend, **asshole**." He picked Carlos up off of the ground and lead him to the closest room. He got a towel, wet it in the bathroom and cleaned the blood from his friend's face.

"Thanks, Kenny." Kendall smiled threw his arms around Carlos.

"No one hurts my Carly and gets away with it." He pushed their foreheads together and kissed his nose. Carlos giggled and wiped his nose after Kendall fell down onto the bed.

"Where have you been all night? Me and Logan were looking for you." He sat cross legged next to the taller boy. "You had us worried."

"We played beer pong for a while. Then we ran out, so we used wine instead." He laughed. "It's really fruity. It tastes like grape soda, but not really. You know?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never tried any." Kendall sat up and faced him. He put his hand on Carlos' neck and pulled him into a kiss. Carlos' words of apprehension died in the back of Kendall's throat, his hands finally settling on Kendall's waist. The small boy's eyes shot open when he felt Kendall's tongue snake it's way into his mouth. Green. All he saw was Kendall's blazing green eyes staring him down. He should've felt uncomfortable, but something about the boy's eyes made him feel more at ease with the whole situation. He felt Kendall's hand slip from his shoulder, down his side, to the front of his pants.

_"Kendall-"_ He pulled back and Kendall moved straight to attack his neck.

"Tastes good, huh?" Carlos pulled the blonde off of him. "What's wrong?"

"You're drunk and it's getting late. We should go." Carlos got up and walked over to the door.

"But we were just-" Carlos didn't stay to hear the rest of what Kendall had started to say. He walked over to Logan and sat down next to him on the couch.

"What happened to your face?" Carlos opened his mouth, but before he could talk Logan was gone, only to come back with a first aid kit. He patched his friend up as he explained what happened.

"We're going home now."

* * *

><p>The walk home was silent expect for James explaining his exploits of the night. Logan pretended to listen while he and Carlos struggled to assist Kendall in walking.<p>

"I had a great time. I would've had more fun, if Carlos hadn't made us stop." Carlos whacked Kendall is the back.

"He got beat up. He had the right to make us leave." Logan protested. Carlos sighed in relief that Kendall didn't go into detail about the "fun" he'd been talking about.

Carlos knew that from then on, things wouldn't be the same.

* * *

><p>"Carlos?" The boy looked up from his laptop and over at the door. "Kendall's here." Carlos smiled as his mom left the room. Kendall appeared in the door, and soon after slammed down on his beanbag chair. He knew it would be awkward considering the fact that he and Kendall hadn't talked outside of school since the party three weeks ago.<p>

"Hey." Carlos saved what he'd been writing, and shut his laptop. "What's up?"

"We haven't hung out in a while. Thought that maybe you were mad at me or something."

"I'm not mad at you, Kenny. I'm just-" He didn't know how to explain it.

"Just, what?"

"Do you remember anything from Buddy's party a few weeks ago?" Kendall laughed.

"Seriously? I remember getting there, and waking up here." He shrugged. Carlos didn't understand what there was to be proud of, but Kendall wore being too drunk to remember anything as a badge of honor. "Why, where are you going with this?"

"Well, you did some stuff and I've just been thinking about it a lot lately." Kendall's face went blank. Expressionless. Carlos almost didn't want to continue the conversation, but he knew that their friendship would suffer if they didn't talk about it.

"Stuff? What stuff?" Carlos looked him in the eyes. This time, Kendall's eyes didn't do much to ease Carlos' mind. Instead they just reminded him of what had happened.

"Me and you. We umm..." Carlos looked down at his comforter. "You umm..."

"I, what?"

"Kissed me." Carlos sighed. "And attempted to do other things...with me." Carlos looked up when Kendall started to laugh.

"Really funny, Carlos." He patted his friend on the back and walked over to the door. "We're all going to the movies on Saturday. Mrs. Diamond's picking us all up at like, two."

"But, Kendall-" Kendall shut his door. Carlos could hear his footsteps trailing down the stairs and out the front door.

* * *

><p>June 2010<p>

* * *

><p>Carlos had been spending a lot of time at Logan's house finishing their history project. It made up about 60% of their grade so Carlos immediately gone to Logan for partnership.<p>

"Kendall's birthday's coming up." Logan was clicking away, typing up their paper on his laptop. He looked up at Carlos to see him shrug his shoulders."Oh, come on. You guys have been acting weird since the beginning of this year. You need to just kiss and make up already." Carlos flinched at the word kiss. He hated that it had ever happened.

"Well, if he would stop acting like such a dick, maybe I would care about his birthday."

"It's his sixteenth birthday. You can't just not get him anything. He's still your best friend." Logan got up and walked over to the printer and pulled out the seven page report. "Done."

* * *

><p>Kendall hadn't expected Carlos to show up at his party. It killed him, but he and his friend hadn't talked since the incident at Buddy's party. He'd told his mother about the whole thing. Not the Carlos part, but he'd explained the situation well enough to get advice. He'd figured that being grounded for a few months was better than losing his friend of over ten years. She only told him one thing.<p>

"_In vino veritas_. In wine, there's truth. If you did something while you were drunk, it was probably something you're too scared to do when you're sober." She'd went on to tell him the story of how she talked to his father for the first time when she was drunk. Kendall didn't listen, but he took her advice.

Kendall had never been more happy to see Carlos than when he walked through the front door of his house the day of his party.

"Hey!" He ran over the boy and took the box from his hands. "Thanks. I'll take it." He set it down on the table. He ran back to the door to invite his friend in, but he shook his head.

"I can't stay." He turned and walked out the door. Kendall stopped for a moment, looking between Carlos and his friends dancing in his living room. He figured that they wouldn't miss him that much. He grabbed a keychain off of the hook, closed the door and ran to Carlos' side.

"You can't stay for your best friend's sixteenth birthday party? That seems a little messed up if you ask me."

"You haven't exactly acted like a best friend, lately."

"Neither have you!" They both faced forward and continued walking.

"Sparky's sick." He saw Kendall's jaw unclench. "That's why I can't stay. They think he might have lymphoma and we all wanted to be together when we found out." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I'm sorry." He looked at Carlos. "For everything. You're right, I have been a shit friend, and it's going to end now." He threw his arm around Carlos' shoulder. "I'm going with you." Carlos shook his head.

"You can't miss your party."

"I've known Sparky since he was a puppy, he means just as much to me as he does to you." He saw Carlos' eyes start to water and he pulled his best friend in for a hug. "They probably haven't even realized that I left." He laughed, he felt Carlos laugh too, and that made him smile. Carlos lifted his head and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"You're really gonna come?" Kendall nodded and smiled. "Thanks, man."

"No problem. That's what best buds do."

* * *

><p>July 2010<p>

* * *

><p>It had been a month since they'd found out that Sparky had lymphoma. Kendall had spent every night over Carlos' house, comforting him and making sure that Sparky's last few weeks were fun and filled with love, as every day of his life was before. Kendall ran upstairs, after letting Sparky out in the yard. He walked in and saw Carlos curled up in a ball with a stuffed squirrel in his arms.<p>

"What's wrong?" He sat next to his friend and pulled him to his cheast.

"He's gonna die and there's nothing I can do about it. I promised that I'd take care of him."

"This is something that no one could control." He wiped the tears on Carlos' cheeks away with his thumb. "You're the best damn dog owner I've ever met."

"Really?" Carlos sniffled. Kendall couldn't help but smile at the adorable blank expression the boy was wearing. He nodded.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later, they put Sparky down. Kendall reassured Carlos that he'd felt no pain. That night, just before the boys went to sleep Carlos mind wandered to a place he knew it shouldn't have after he'd thought out loud.<p>

"So, Sparky's in heaven with your dad now." He could feel Kendall's back tense against his. Maybe both of them sleeping in Carlos' twin bed wasn't a good idea.

"I guess."

"You don't talk about him much." Carlos turned over and was faced with a head of coconut scented blonde hair. "You used to talk about him all the time."

"That was before he went and got himself blown up." Kendall retorted in a harsh tone.

"Kenny-"

"No, don't 'Kenny' me!" He sat up. "You don't understand, no one understands! Everyone just thinks that he's a big hero who died for his country, but what about his kids? What kind of hero leaves his wife alone with two children? What kind of hero lies to his son and says he'll be home in time to see his newborn sibling's first steps? What kind of hero doesn't make it back home after fighting the bad guys? Huh!" Tear had begun to stream from Kendall's eyes and even in the dark Carlos could tell that he was shaking.

"A person who's not a hero at all! He wasn't super, or magical, or powerful, he was just _stupid_!" Kendall's head fell into his lap and he shook as sobs rocked through his body. Carlos scooted closer and lifted Kendall's head onto his shoulder. He was more shocked than anything. He'd never seen Kendall fall apart like this. He'd always been on top of everything and totally in control.

"I miss him so much sometimes, Carly."

"It's okay to miss him, Kenny. He's your dad." He slipped his hand under Kendall's shirt and rubbed circles on his back.

"It's so hard, though." He sat up and rubbed his eyes, clearing them to focus on Carlos. "Mom doesn't talk about him, and Katie knows nothing about him but what she's heard from me. I barely remember him sometimes and it hurts. What kind of boy grows up without a father? That's probably why I'm so messed up."

"You're not messed up. What would make you think tha-"

"I _kissed_ you, Carlos! That's wrong! On so many levels, that's wrong." He got up and paced the room a few times before sitting in Carlos' desk chair.

"So, you remember what happened? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you'd hate me." Carlos could see the tears welling up in Kendall's eyes again. "I didn't want to lose you." Carlos walked over to him, pulled him off of the chair and stood on his tippy-toes so he could hug Kendall. The hug lasted a good five minutes. It's was easily the best hug that Kendall had ever recieved.

"I love you, Kendall."

"I love you too, Carlos."

The boys didn't know how to react to the comments. This was much different from when they were nine. It wasn't the same innocent _"I love you, Kenny"_ and _"I love you too, Carly"_ These seemed more serious than that. Like they meant more. The same thoughts were on the two boys' minds as they went to sleep that night.


	5. James and Carlos

September 2010

* * *

><p>"Can you believe it?" Carlos turned to Kendall, who was laying down on the floor. This was their last night in Minnesota for at least three months. Carlos wanted to enjoy sleeping in his bed for the last time, but he was too excited to sleep. "I'm nervous. I've never been on a plane before."<p>

"Why should you be nervous?" Kendall leaned up on his elbows, squinting to see Carlos in dim moonlight. "You've got me and the guys there to protect you. What more do you need?" He laughed, put his hands on the edge of the bed and climbed over Carlos to lay on the other side. "You'll be fine."

"What if the plane crashes? Why if I die without ever seeing Paris? What if I die before we gradua-" Kendall shot up when Carlos gasped loudly.

"What!"

"What if I die a-" Carlos looked around, then whispered "_virgin_?" Kendall laughed at his best friend's innocence. He slid his body under the covers and leaned over to kiss Carlos' forehead. A gesture that shut Carlos up, which had been exactly what Kendall was going for.

"You're not gonna die."

"Kenny?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy Nine Years." Kendall smiled. Today marked their ninth year of friendship. He couldn't think of a life before Carlos.

"Happy Nine Years, buddy." He turned over and pulled the covers up to his chin. "Goodnight, Carly. I love you."

Carlos mumbled a 'love you, too.' before yawning and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Thanks, man. I owe you, big time." Logan had traded tickets with Carlos so that he could sit with James. Logan loved James. Carlos had come to that conclusion. He had come out to Carlos at the Diamond's Labor Day party, and Carlos never forgot the way he'd told him.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"What do you mean you like James? Of course you like James. We all like James, that's why we hang out with him." <em>

_"No. I like him. Like, really like him. Like, I want to be with him." Carlos just stood confused. "I'm gay, Carlos. I like boys. James, specificly." _

_"Oh my god, he's gonna freak when I tell him!" Carlos turned over to where James and his cousin were playing Super Mario Brothers. "HEY JA-" Logan quickly shoved a hand over his mouth and pulled him into the nearest room before James turned to look at them. _

_"No! You can't tell him!" _

_"Why? When you like someone, you're supposed to ask them out so you can date them." _

_"Yes. When you're a boy and you like a girl. It's not that simple when you're a boy that likes your straight best guy friend." He sighed. "I wish I didn't sometimes." _

_"If you wish you didn't like him, then why do you like him?" _

_"It's not that simple Carlos. It's more than just liking him. It's the way his hair falls in his eyes, and the way he gets frustrated when it won't stay in place. It's the way he's so concieted, but you can't tell him he's wrong because he has every right to be. When he plays piano, when he plays hockey, when he sings. Oh god, when he sings! His eyes! Have you seen his eyes? They're gorgeous and whenever he looks at me I feel like my insides are melting." _

_"That doesn't sound good." Carlos laughed. _

_"It doesn't feel good. It feels like I've been slammed into the boards seven times. I get that feeling everytime I'm near him, but I'd rather get it and be around him than not. Kind of like you and Kendall." _

_"Me and Kendall!" Carlos scoffed and folded his arms, thinking back to that night at Jenny's. "I don't like Kendall." _

_"Well, I see the way Kendall looks at you. He's unsure and so are you." _

_"Oh really? What do you know?" _

_"Did you forget, dear Carlos?" He patted his friend on the shoulder. "I'm a genius." _

* * *

><p>"No problem, dude." He took his seat next to Kendall and gripped the armrests tightly. "I'm ready. I can do this." They got the warning that the plane was taking of and Carlos' heart rate increased tenfold. "I can't do this!" Kendall grabbed his hand.<p>

"Relax! We'll be fine!" He let his hand go, which disappointed Carlos a little. "You scored the winning goal against Ridgeway. The best hockey team in our league! If you can do that, you can do this. Just close your eyes." Carlos let his eyes fall closed and breathed in deeply. He felt something heavy weigh on his head, and he opened his eyes. Kendall's hockey helmet. Kendall patted the top of the helmet twice and smiled.

"I can do this."

* * *

><p>The first few weeks of being a boyband were gruesome. Long days of nothing but dance drills and vocal coaching. They were getting less and less sleep as the days went on. Gustavo wasn't the easiest to deal with on top of it all. They'd dealt with multiple explosions of Roque rage when Kendall would talk back. No matter what he said, the blonde had to disagree. Typical Kendall, having to be the dominant and the leader in every situation.<p>

"That was _TERRIBLE_!" Gustavo paced around his office before finally banging his fists on the desk. "Just get out of my office. Go back to the Palmwoods, _AND COME BACK IN THREE DAYS WITH SOME TALENT!_"

"Well, at least we get three days off, finally!" Kendall said, walking through the doors of their recently redone apartment which had been another devious Kendall scheme.

"Yeah, but he's gonna be just as angry when we get back." Logan walked to the refrigerator. He threw all of the boys chilled bottles of water and collapsed on the couch.

"Still. Three days off! I'm gonna spend my time getting a date with the new girl." James smiled as he bounded happily back through the doorway.

"And I'm going to the movies with Jo." Kendall put his glasses on a walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Well." Logan looked around and rubbed the back of his neck. "We've been dumped."

"I just don't get it." Carlos sighed, pushing Kendall's helment up and down with his eyebrows.

"Get what?"

"He kisses me at Jenny's party, then tells me he loves me, then goes and dates Jo." Carlos pulled the helmet off and set it on the table. "I don't know anymore."

"He's just confused. You're confused. Hell, _I'm_ confused."

"I thought you knew that you liked boys?"

"Well, I do. But Camille's hot," They laughed. "and a surprisingly good kisser."

* * *

><p>December 2010<p>

* * *

><p>Their first Christmas at the Palmwoods. Carlos had looked for ages to find the perfect gift for Kendall and he'd finally found it. He spent the entirety of his first paycheck from the band on a signed Minnesota Wild jersey. It was expensive but Kendall was the reason that they were there in L.A, and his best friend in the world. He was more than worth it.<p>

On Christmas, James had gotten all the Cuda products his heart could take, Logan got a new laptop and graphing calculator, and Carlos had gotten video games and new skates. Carlos couldn't sit still waiting for Kendall to open his present. Logan got him a new mp3 player, probably to make up for the one he left in his pocket during laundry week. James got him a new hockey stick and he'd gotten gift cards from Katie and Mrs. Knight.

"Open mine now!" Carlos shouted, pushing the box toward Kendall.

"Alright, alright!" Kendall laughed and ripped the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wrapping paper off of the box. He grabbed a box cutter and cut the tape down the middle. "Carlos, you didn't." He could see the Minnesota Wild emblem through the slit in the box top. He pulled it out and held it against himself. "It's awesome, dude!"

"Look at the back!" Carlos bounced around in his seat, waiting for Kendall's reaction to the signatures of all of his favorite hockey players. Kendall turned the jersey around and saw all of his favorite players' names scribbled out in black sharpie.

"It's signed!" Carlos nodded, and he couldn't help but smile. "Oh my god! This is the best gift I've ever gotten!" Kendall leaped over all of the packages and hugged Carlos.

"I knew you'd like it."

"Like it? I want to marry this thing!"

* * *

><p>Carlos had spent most of the day alone with James helping set up for dinner. Kendall and Logan went to exchange gifts with Camille and Jo and Katie and Mrs. Knight went to the store for some last minute Christmas dinner shopping.<p>

"I can't believe they're not here with their friends on Christmas." James said, putting the plates out on the table. "I mean, especially Logan. He's the one that's always talking about tradition and keeping things normal even though we're in Hollywood." James finished off his sentance in a mocking voice. Maybe Carlos was crazy, but James sounded a little jealous that Logan was with Camille.

"They should be here helping us, I guess." Carlos added. He'd put himself in charge of dessert, so he was busy in the kitchen making his famous chocolate cake.

"Of course they should!" James walked into the kitchen and over to Carlos. "Don't clean a thing. Since we set everything up, they're cleaning everything up." He dipped his finger into the bowl and swiped the batter covered finger across Carlos' cheek.

"Hey!" Carlos took the spoon a flung a string of batter at James. As soon as it hit his hair Carlos knew that this was no longer fun, it was war. James didn't like people messing with his hair. "I'm so sorry." He laughed.

"You got cake batter in my hair." James picked up the bag of flour, reached in and grabbed and handfull. "Now you _die_!" The kitchen had turned into a warzone. Flour and cake batter landed everwhere, and somehow Carlos had ended up under James. James held the bowl of batter over Carlos' head.

"I said I was sorry!"

"Sorry isn't good enough!" Carlos tried to shield his face, but James pinned his hands down. "I'm sorry dear friend, but you must suffer as I did!" He set the bowl down and shoved his hand in the bowl.

"Not that much! That's a lot!" Carlos wiggled around, trying to get out from under James. "There's barely any left for the cake!"

"Well, you'll have to make more!" James punctuated his sentance by wiping his hand over Carlos' face. He ran the chocolaty hand through Carlos' hair then sat back, letting his hands go.

"_James_!" Carlos groaned and wiped the cake batter from his eyes.

"What's going on?" The boys turned to the door and saw Logan and Kendall at the door, wide eyed and confused.

"We're just making a mess for you guys to clean up." James stood up and helped Carlos back onto his feet. "Since you guys weren't here to set up, it's only fair." James laughed and walked back toward the bathroom. Carlos took what remained of the batter back into the kitchen. He caught himself in the mirror that hung on the wall.

"I need a shower."

* * *

><p>Kendall walked into his and Logan's shared room, shutting the door behind him in a slightly more aggresive manner than he'd wanted.<p>

"What's wrong with _you_?"

"What were they doing out there?" Kendall walked in circles around the foot of his bed. "I mean, that didn't look the least bit inappropriate." Logan put his book down, knowing he wouldn't get any farther until he appeased the blonde by listening.

"I'm sensing a tad bit of sarcasm there, Kendall." Logan added, voice dripping with sarcasm to match Kendall's.

"It's just weird!" He threw himself down onto his bed. "If you're going to practically have sex, don't do it in the middle of the living room!"

"Kendall, they weren't practially having sex. They were throwing food at each other. So maybe it was a slightly suggestive position, but come on now."

"If something's going on, they should tell us. We're their best friends! Why wouldn't we be the first to know?"

"Why are you acting so odd? Nothing's going on. They wouldn't do that." Logan set his book down on his bedside table. "Carlos wouldn't do that." He whispered to himself before getting up to go to the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Carlos wandered out of the bathroom, tying his towel around his waist. He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans, and red v-neck, and a dark green long sleeved shirt. He put it all on, and rolled the green sleeves up over the red. He turned to the mirror and admired his festive outfit until he heard the door open.<p>

"Hey." James walked over to his bedside, picking up his lucky comb before taking Carlos' spot at the mirror. "Nice outfit. Very festive." Carlos smiled and smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt.

"James?" James stopped fixing his hair and turned to his friend.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought about guys?" He saw the look on James' face change. He didn't know if James understood him or not, so he elaborated. "Like, have you ever thought about guys like you do girls?"

"Why, do you?"

"No. I was just wondering. You can tell me if you have, I won't tell anyone." The brunette looked down into Carlos' eyes. He knew that when Carlos said he'd keep a secret he never lied. To this day he still hadn't told Kendall that it was James, not Katie, that broke his hockey stick in the fifth grade.

"Once." He sighed. He saw Carlos' face go from doe-eyed and caring to excited and attentive. "It was weird though."

"How weird?"

"It was Logan." He saw Carlos' eye widen. "I _know_! I mean, Logan's totally not my type! I don't _do_ smarties, but it was him."

"What happened?" Carlos leaned forward on his elbows, wanting to hear more.

"We were talking, then we were kissing and then we had sex."

"You had sex?" The comment came out louder than Carlos had wanted. James' hands flew over Carlos' mouth before he could say anything else.

"You tell anyone and you're dead. Got it?" Carlos nodded.

"You guys, dinner's re-" Kendall stopped in the doorway after seeing James and Carlos. "Dinner's ready."

* * *

><p>After dinner, the boys all sat and watched Christmas movies together like they had every year.<p>

"So." James broke the silence and stretched his legs out on the couch. "Everything seems really tense. Why?"

"Why don't you ask your boyfriend." Kendall answered, not bothering to turn and face the others.

"My boyfriend?" James sat up. "Alright. I'll play along. Who's my boyfriend?"

"Why don't you ask Carlos!" Kendall turned around and shot James a dirty look.

"You think me and Carlos are dating? Is this because of what happened earlier?"

"Yes, it's about what happened earlier. Why don't you and you little boyfriend just take your little gay, touchy-feely sessions and keep them in your room where none of us are forced to watch!" Kendall looked over at Carlos and saw the tears welling up in his eyes. He shook his head before turning to leave. "Trust me, no one wants to see it." Kendall slammed the door closed and silence fell over the boys. They could only hear two things, the faucet dripping and Carlos holding back sobs.

"Carlos?" Logan walked over to the boys spot on the couch and sat next to him. He put an arm around him and pulled him close. "You okay?"

"No!" Carlos wasn't gay. Well, he wasn't sure if he was was gay or not, and he knew that he and James weren't dating but Kendall's words still stung. He and Kendall had many fights in the past, but Kendall had never said such offensive things to him before. "Why is he acting like this? It's Christmas. Everyone's supposed to be happy on Christmas." Carlos got up and walked toward Kendall and Logan's room.

"Carlos, I'd leave him alone. He needs time to cool off." James' words went in one ear and out the other. He walked into the room and shut the door behind him. Carlos heard a muffled 'get out' come from Kendall's bed. He walked over, took Kendall's shoulder and pulled him onto his back.

"Why would you say all that stuff." Kendall opened his mouth to talk but Carlos stopped him. "It hurt, Kendall. It really did. It's hurts more that I know you knew you were hurting me and probably James too, but you didn't stop."

"I'm sorry."

"No. You're not sorry. I can tell that you're not sorry. You don't even care!" Carlos wiped the tears from his eyes and kept going. This had been the first time he'd ever stood up to Kendall. The boy had always taken a more submissive role in their friendship and it felt good to finally stand up for himself. "If you cared, you wouldn't have done it! I already dealt with this in school, you know that. Being with you was my one way of getting away from it!"

"Carlos, I'm sor-"

"No! Don't give me another shitty 'I'm sorry'. Why'd you do it?" Kendall scratched his head. "Huh!"

"I don't know!" Kendall stood in front of Carlos. When his saw the hurt in his friends' eyes his gaze dropped to the floor. "I don't know." Carlos leaned forward and wrapped the taller boy up in his arms. Yes, he was still mad but Kendall was still his best friend. "I'm sorry. I really am."

"I know."

* * *

><p>2:30 a.m. Kendall felt terrible. He'd apologized to James, Carlos and Logan for exploding and blamed it on the stress but something still didn't feel right. He turned over and looked out the window.<p>

Kendall knew that he wasn't straight. At least, not completely straight. He'd known that for a while, but he'd never been attracted to a guy other than Carlos. Picturing Carlos with James was what had set him off earlier. It wasn't stress, it wasn't the thought of his friends not trusting him with their relationship, it was the thought of Carlos loving another man. A man other than him. For years, he'd been the only person Carlos had ever said he'd loved other than his family, and vice versa. Carlos never had girlfriends, and he never went on dates. Kendall wasn't completely sure, but their kiss at Jenny's might have been Carlos' first and it made him happy in his own, sick way.

Kendall got out of bed and walked quietly to the door, opening and closing it as silently as possible. As hard as it was without shoes, he made his way up the swirly slide before making it to James and Carlos' shared room. He cracked the door just enough for him to fit, and slid in. He padded over to Carlos' bed and kneeled beside him. He knew it was creepy, but there had been times when Kendall had just watched him sleep. He was so peaceful when he slept that he could put the most neurotic person at ease. He watched as Carlos' chest rose and fell with every breath he took. Eyelashes resting on the tops of his cherubic cheeks, lips pulled into an partial smile. Kendall almost didn't want to wake him, but he set his hand on the boy's shoulder and shook him gently.

"Carly?" He whispered. He saw Carlos' nose scrunch up a little, and laughed. "Carlos, wake up."

"Wha-?" Carlos rubbed his eyes until Kendall came into clear view. "Hey."

"Hey." Kendall smiled and waited for Carlos to fully wake up. "I still feel bad for what I said earlier."

"I told you, I forgive you." He leaned up on his pillows and smiled. "I can't stay mad at you." Kendall cupped the side of Carlos' face in his hand, running his thumb across the boy's forehead a few times before kissing it.

"I love you."

"Love you too, Kenny." Kendall dropped into bed next to Carlos realizing that not being near him was what hadn't felt right.

* * *

><p><strong>Cheesy and overly dramatic. Meh. Not my best. The next one's going to be from James and Logan's pov. Oooohh. Review? -:)<strong>


	6. Logan met Dak

**January 2011**

* * *

><p>Their first Hollywood party. Mercedes Griffin's New Years Party. James was in his glory. Parading around, mingling, dancing, rubbing up on every and any girl he saw. Logan sat on a windowsill on the abandoned side of the room, occasionally taking a sip from the cup in his hand. He stumbled trying to get up and make his way to the bathroom. He unlocked the door and yelled at the couple occupying it to get out, moving to the sink to splash water on his face. There was a knock at the door before it flew open, and the person behind it fell to the floor.<p>

"Oh, Logan. Didn't know anyone was in here." Logan made his way over to her and helped her to stand. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear. "I'm so sorry." She giggled. Logan ignored the blatent advances and shoved past her. He exited the bathroom and walked down the hall, trying to find an empty room to lay down in. His head pulsed as he tried all of the doors, most of which were locked or showed some sign of being occupied. He rounded the corner to the master bedroom, shocked to find the door unlocked. He opened it and stepped inside, immidiatly regretting his decision. He turned to face the door as soon as he'd seen the naked couple on the bed, trying to reach the door before he was caught.

"O-oh. Ja-Ames!" Logan heard the voice come from behind him. He knew that voice. He heard it over the phone countless times. He turned and peeked around the corner. A lump formed in his throat and something inside him broke. His best friend on top of his girlfriend. He felt his heart thump uncomfortably every time either of them moaned, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to leave. He didn't know what to feel. Upset because his girlfriend was cheating on him. Upset because his best friend was betraying him. Jealous because he hadn't had sex with Camille yet. Jealous because he'd never get a chance to be in Camille's position. His head pulsed harder. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the heartbreak. He finally opened the door and left, letting it slam behind him. He stormed over to Carlos who was sitting on the couch, talking to a small redhead.

"Bring me home." Carlos turned to Logan, obviously scared by his tone. "NOW!" He grabbed Carlos' arm, and pulled him toward the door. Carlos could see it in his eyes, something bad had happened. He waved to the girl on the couch and followed Logan out. They walked all the way to Palmwoods Park before Carlos said anything.

"Are you okay?" Carlos inquired shyly.

"No!" He cried. Logan rarely cried. Carlos knew something was wrong. "James is a stupid, girlfriend stealing, self centered asshole!" Carlos threw his arm around Logan's shoulder and lead him to a bench. He didn't ask for details, he just hugged his best friend and let him cry on his shoulder. "Why does he have such a nice ass? I hate him so much."

The next morning James yawned, head throbbing as he sat up in his bed. He didn't even remember coming home last night. He walked out into the kitchen and sat with the guys at the table.

"Morning, everyone." James sat and waited for a responce that never came. "Hello?" Barely anyone looked up from their food. Logan and Carlos got up, pushing in their chairs and bringing their plates over to the sink before disappearing into Logan's room. "What did I do?"

"I don't know. They've been acting weird since last night." Kendall took bite from the piece of bacon in his hand. "They'll get over it."

James wondered what he could've done to deserve the silent treatment from not only Logan, but Carlos. The world's most forgiving person. He ate his breakfast in silence.

* * *

><p>"Logan?" He looked up at the door upon hearing his name.<p>

"What do _you_ want?"

"For you to tell me what I did wrong." He sat on the foot of the bed, turning toward Logan. "You've been ignoring me all week."

"Just know that you deserve it." He slammed the book he was reading shut and placed it on his dresser. He attempted to make his way to the door but stopped when he felt James' hand tug at his wrist. He turned and sighed. "What!"

"_Please_." Don't look in his eyes. Don't. Look. In. His. Eyes. Logan didn't listen to himself and stared deep into James' eyes. "At least tell me what I did to deserve it." The sadness in James' eyes combined with the thoughts of the passed week running through his head was too much for him. His eyes watered and he ripped his arm away from the boy on the bed.

"You fucked my girlfriend, you insufferable, egotistical dick!"

"_What_?" He heard James' voice come from behind him before he slammed the door shut.

* * *

><p>Carlos had spent most of the day by the pool, relaxing with his corndogs. He opened his eyes when he heard Logan come outside, mumbling a slew of swears under his breath.<p>

"Logan?"

"I cracked. I completely gave in."

"You told him? I thought you were just going to ignore him?"

"I tried! Then I looked in his eyes, and that totally melted away what little spine I had." He fell down onto the louge chair next to Carlos.

"You yelled at him, didn't you?" Logan nodded, burying his face in the crook of his arm. "Logie. You know that yelling at him isn't going to solve anything. You should talk to him."

"Yeah, well. I think that ship sailed the moment I saw his ass on top of my girlfriend."

"Have you even talked to Camille?"

"Just to break up with her." He sat up and crossed his legs, turning to face Carlos. "I don't know what to do. How's a guy supposed to tell his best friend that he's been in love with him for practically three years?"

"You just tell him." Carlos pointed to a spot over Logan's shoulder, toward the building. There was James. Leaned against the entrance twiddling his thumbs as if waiting for permission to come over. Carlos got up to leave when Logan grabbed his arm.

"No, you can't leave me. I'm not ready to deal with this situation!"

"Well it's ready to deal with you!" Carlos pulled his arm away and patted him on the back. "You'll do fine." Logan could feel his entire body heat up, a combination of rage and nerviousness as the brunette approched him.

"Logan?" He sat in the seat that Carlos had been in. Logan tried his hardest to avoid eye contact, looking everywhere but James' face. "Look, what do we do?"

"I don't know. I've never been cheated on before."

"I was drunk, does that at least count toward my stupidity points?" He smiled. Logan couldn't help but smile a little, catching a glimpse of James pearly whites in the corner of his eye. "Hey, you're smiling! Does this mean that I'm in the clear?"

"No." Logan got up and marched back to 2J. Locking himself in his and Kendall's shared room before putting his plan into action.

* * *

><p>"Logan here? He said he'd help me with this stupid paper." Kendall sat on the couch in between James and Carlos and threw his arm around the shorter teen. "Haven't seen him all day."<p>

"He came in an hour ago and disappeared into your room." Carlos looked up at Kendall. "Where've you been?"

"Jo's got a tight schedule. I've got to hang with her when we both have the time." Carlos cringed. "Dude, you need a girlfriend. Then maybe you wouldn't get so lonely during the day."

"Are you ser-" The bedroom door slammed against the wall. Logan stepped out and threw an envelope in James' lap.

"Read it when you're alone."

* * *

><p>"Have you read it yet?" Carlos asked as he brushed his teeth.<p>

"Not yet. I'm scared it's like, a friendship resignation or something."

"I don't think that's it." He laid in bed and pulled the covers up to his neck. "You know Logan's never really been good at talking things out. It's probably just everything he wants to say to you, written down."

"You're right. Night, buddy." James had waited until he knew that Carlos was asleep to open the letter.

_James-_

_What you did was terrible and it really hurt me, _

_but a girl that I've known for a few months isn't worth me losing my best friend that I've known for years. _

_So I guess I forgive you. It'll just take a while for me to trust you fully again. _

_I've also been thinking a lot lately. Especially about how I feel about you. _

_For a while now, I've been questioning whether I'm straight or not. Since the eighth grade, actually._

_I've come to realize as I'm writing this that I was never mad at you for being with Camille. _

_I was jealous. I really like you, James. More than a friend of the same sex should. _

_I know you're straight. I'm not expecting you to drop this letter and beg me to have your adopted babies. _

_I just felt like we couldn't get back to normal until you knew this. _

_I'm in love with you, James and it feels damn good to finally tell someone other than Carlos. _

_Laugh at me, ignore me, do whatever you want but now you know how I feel and that makes me feel better. _

_-Logan._

James folded the letter back into the envelope and got out of bed. He made his way to Logan and Kendall's room and knocked on the door, hoping one of them was still awake. Logan opened the door, hair matted and eyes partially closed. When he focused, he realized that it was James at the door.

"Did you read it?" He nodded. "So what are you thinking?" James rocked from foot to foot for a while before speaking.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright." James leaned down the hug him. When it ended and they stood awkwardly in the doorway together.

"Loge, I'm not ga-"

"It's okay. Let's just not talk about it. Okay?

"Are you sur-"

"Yeah." Logan sighed. "We should get to sleep. Early start tomorrow."

* * *

><p>"Come on, Logie! It's been two weeks. Cheer up already!"<p>

"Dealing with being cheated on and coming out to your best friend who you're in love with _and_ having him reject you isn't exactly easy, Carlitos."

"Well, at least _fake_ a smile. Go try on some clothes or something." He shoved Logan in the direction of the Hollister fitting rooms. He wandered around the back of the store before finding something he liked. A grey sweater that he knew would go perfectly with the navy polo he'd just bought at Abercrombie. He reached out for the one on the top of the pile, hand colliding with someone else's. Logan took a minute to admire how smooth and soft their skin was before looking up at his face.

"No way! You're Dak Zev-" The hand quickly covered his mouth and dragged him back into the nearest open fitting room before shutting the door and locking it. Logan listened to what sounded like a stampede, then heard a '**_find Dak!_**', followed by a receding rush of teenaged feet. The hand released him and peaked out the door.

"Coast is clear. Sorry about that." He opened the door, allowing Logan to walk out before shutting it behind them.

"It's alright. I should've remembered. Last time someone shouted your name around me, I ended up with a black eye and two broken arms." He laughed. Logan noted how amazing the popstar's eyes glistened when he smiled.

"Well, sorry again. Logan, right?" Logan nodded. **_'He remembered me? Why?' _**he thought. What could possibly make little ol' Logan stick out in a huge superstar like Dak's mind? "Yeah. The cute one." He added before moving to the adjacent table, rifling through v-necks.

"Cute one?" Dak looked up from the table and smiled at him before returning to his previous actions. Logan could feel his cheeks heating up, and thanked God when he saw Carlos walking over.

"Hey Log- Oh my god. It's D-" Logan covered his mouth and Dak gave him a look of gratitude. "Sorry."

"Happens all the time, right Logan?" Dak questioned before winking at him.

"Logan, we should get going. It's almost 8. You _know_ how Mama Knight feels about us getting in after 8." Carlos tugged on Logan's arm, trying to get him closer to the door.

"Alright, Carlos. I'm coming. Stop pulling." He jerked his arm out of Carlos' grasp and walked back over to Dak. "We should, uh, maybe hang out sometime?"

Dak smiled and extended his hand to Logan. He noticed a small piece of paper between his middle and index finger. Logan took it from his hold and opened it. Dak's number on the inside, and a note.

346-7921

Don't doubt your cuteness, Logan.

;) DZ

Logan couldn't help but smile at the note. Maybe it was that easy to get over being rejected, betrayed and cheated on.

* * *

><p><strong>Mostly Logan. Actually all Logan with a smidgen of James. I hope you like it. For some reason, writing as Logan and James doesn't come as easily to me as Carlos and Kendall do. <strong>

**Enjoy :)-**


	7. Carlos and Kendall

**February 2011**

* * *

><p>It had been a really busy few months for Carlos. He'd taken up a few new hobbies to try to avoid alone time with Kendall. With Mama Knight and Katie taking a motherdaughter karate class, James out on a date, and Logan mysteriously disappearing into the night, that just left the apartment to him and Kendall. He secretly hoped that his friend would sleep the night away, but that idea died when he heard the bedroom door open.

"Hey, buddy." Kendall flopped on the couch and threw his arm over Carlos' shoulder. "What's up?"

"Adventure Time marathon. I have to catch up." Kendall laughed, breaking Carlos' concentration. "What?"

"You're adorable, Carly. You're the only 16 year old I know that still watches cartoons religiously"

"Thanks, I guess." Carlos could feel Kendall's eyes roaming all over his face. Probably looking for a reason as to why he was acting so standoffish.

"We should hang tomorrow night. Go see a movie or something. We haven't done that in _months_."

"Tomorrow Valentine's Day." Carlos got up and moved to the kitchen, grabbing a can of soda before returning to the couch.

"I know."

"Shouldn't you be going out with Jo, then?"

"She's working all day, and you mean more to me than Jo does anyway." He smiled and tightened his grip on Carlos' shoulder.

"That's nice, but I'm going on a double date with James tomorrow night." Carlos saw the look on Kendall's face change and patted him on the back. "Sorry, man."

* * *

><p>Kendall had spent the night alone. The boy's slowly trickled in, Logan first then Carlos and James after midnight.<p>

"Where've you two been?"

"We went to a movie, then to dinner." Carlos sat next to Logan, stealing the remote from his grasp. "The girls were nice."

"Carlos is just saying that because he had his first kiss tonight." James poked Carlos' shoulder. Carlos shot him a glare before his cheeks turned beet red. Kendall laughed.

"Carlos _had_ his first kiss already." Kendall sat up in his seat, folding his arms. "A while ago, actually."

"No, I didn't." Carlos blurted it out, hoping that Kendall wouldn't hear it.

"Yes, you did." He unfolded his arms and leaned forward on the couch. "Why are you lying, Carlos?" James looked back and forth between the two boys. Logan shut his book and tried to think of a way to change the subject.

"C'mon, guys. Who cares if this was Carlos' first kiss or not? Let's all just be happy he finally got some, _huh_?"

"He shouldn't be lying about his first kiss." Kendall scowled.

"Well obviously the kiss wasn't important enough for him to remember. If he can't remember it, why count it?" James added, sauntering over to place his leftovers in the fridge.

"He remembers, he's just being an ass."

"Well, I wish I didn't remember it. I wish it never happened!" Carlos stood up before walking over to the stairs to his and James' shared room. "Thanks for ruining my night, Kendall."

* * *

><p>Carlos spent the night staring at the ceiling. Why would Kendall do that? He promised that they'd forget it ever happened. Carlos attempted to take a sip from the cup of water on his side table before realizing that it was empty. He made his way into the kitchen to fill it back up.<p>

"Carlos?" He turned and saw Logan, asleep on the couch.

"Logan? What're you doing down here?"

"Just got back in." He saw Carlos' eyes widen and laughed. "Well I got in before curfew, but I left after everyone went to sleep. Luckily your and Kendall's little spat got me out of here an hour earlier than usual."

"Sneaking out, devious planning. You've been hanging out with Kendall too long." Carlos took a sip of water and sat down next to Logan. "So, who's the guy you're sneaking out to have late night rendezvouses with?"

"Promise not to tell?"

"Did I tell James?" Logan grimaced slightly at his name.

"Dak and I've been going out for two weeks now."

"Dak Zevon?" Carlos whisper-yelled after almost spitting out his water. "You're dating Dak Zevon?"

"I guess so. We haven't really labeled it yet. If anything, we're just friends with benefits."

"Benefits? Logan! I'm shocked!" Carlos slapped his hand on his chest, then laughed.

"Not _sex_ or anything! We just make out. A lot."

"Aww." Carlos threw an arm around Logan. "My little Logie's growing up."

* * *

><p>Kendall made sure to catch Carlos that following morning before he could find a way to avoid him. He knocked on his bedroom door before opening it. Carlos was on the far side of the room in a towel, looking through his drawers.<p>

"You know, when you knock you're supposed to wait for someone to invite you in."

"I'm not a vampire. And you're my best friend. We don't knock."

"Well, best friends that act like assholes knock." He threw a pair of jeans onto the bed and switched drawers.

"You're actually mad at me for that?" Kendall threw himself onto Carlos' bed, before chuckling to himself. "Dude, I was just telling them the truth."

"No. You told them what you thought would _embarrass_ me. Truth is, a drunk asshole who doesn't know how to deal with his feelings _stole_ my first kiss, tried to have sex with me, then had the nerve to tell me he loved me. Do you know how confusing that was, Kendall? Or do other people's feelings not matter in your little game of "_Figure out who I am_?'" Carlos waltzed into the bathroom and came out half dressed.

"I care about your feelings." Kendall whispered. Carlos stopped rifling through his drawer of shirts long enough to hear it.

"_I love you, Carly. I don't have time to hang out with you, Carlos. I've got a girlfriend. You mean more to me than she does. I was your first kiss. I care about you._" Carlos mocked him, getting closer and closer with each sentence. "It's pathetic that you think I'm _that_ stupid."

"I don't think you're stupid, I really _do_ care about you Carlos."

"Then why do you do stuff like this to me?" Carlos pulled his shirt over his head. "It's messing with my head."

"I don't kn-"

"I'm sick of that being your answer for _everything_. Man up, Kendall!" In the time it took for Carlos to open the door, Kendall had managed to turn him around and slam him against the door. "What are you doing?"

"Manning up." Kendall grasped Carlos' face, and pulled him into a bruising kiss. Flashbacks of the party, almost two years ago, flooded Carlos' mind. Before he knew it, Kendall was pulling away. Carlos' eyes opened and he took in Kendall's appearance. Lips red, cheeks flushed, hair tousled slightly. His eyes were Carlos' main focus though. They looked identical to the eyes that Carlos' had seen that night, except this time they weren't bloodshot and actually showed signs of what seemed like adoration. "Man enough for 'ya?"

Carlos couldn't help but smile and chuckle lightly when Kendall rested his forehead on his, their noses touching. He nodded and Kendall placed another light kiss to his lips before smirking and moving Carlos away from the door. After Kendall had left, Carlos leaned against the door.

"Absolutely man enough."

* * *

><p><strong>Don't really have any notes about this one. Just hope you enjoyed it. Please review! I <em>love<em> hearing what you guys think :)-**


	8. Kendall and Carlos and Dak and Logan

**March 2011**

* * *

><p>Carlos' birthday was coming up. Logan had been shopping for a the perfect present, but he genuinely didn't know what the boy could want.<p>

"What about a lifetime supply of corndogs and tots?"

"Could you make that happen?"

"I know a few guys, who know a few guys that could." Logan laughed. "Have I told you that you're adorable?"

"Yes, Dak. You told me five minutes ago. It's getting sickening."

"I can't help it. You make me all smiley." Logan laughed and leaned over the table to kiss Dak, ignoring the stares from the girls two tables over. He'd been in the news a couple of times, on E! at least twice in the past week and in magazines worldwide. One of the perks of dating a superstar. It got the band some good publicity as well. I mean seeing "Logan Mitchell of Big Time Rush" everywhere had to get at least one person to look them up for every 5 magazines sold. Logan liked the attention, he'd admit that but with good press comes bad. He and Dak had many talks about magazine articles suggesting the boys said things they never said or did things they never did. They'd agreed to trust each other and never jump to conclusions without explanations and their relationship had been gravy after that.

"You make me smiley too." Logan guessed that this was Dak's way of saying "_I love you_" without moving the relationship along too quickly. They'd only been dating for a month or so, but Logan knew he had strong feelings for the popstar.

"You know, you're my first actual relationship since my last one, back home."

"Back home, like before you became _the_ Dak Zevon?" He laughed and grabbed Logan's hand.

"Yes. Before all of _this_. It's nice to finally be with someone that doesn't just want me because they've seen my name in magazines."

Knowing how Dak felt put Logan at ease, but he was still hesitant to share his feelings with the popstar. He couldn't take another rejection.

* * *

><p>Carlos felt the bed bounce slightly and heard the springs creak before a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.<p>

"Happy Birthday, Carly." Carlos turned to face Kendall and opened his eyes slower than a newborn kitten, which Kendall of course found adorable.

"Thanks, Kenny."

"You're very welcome Mr. Sixteen Year Old." Kendall moved as if he wanted to kiss Carlos, but backed away.

"You can kiss me, you know."

"I don't know. It doesn't feel right yet." When he saw the look on Carlos' face, he immediately tried to correct his wording. "Not being with you, just the kissing. I feel like I haven't given you a proper first kiss yet."

"Oh, well when can I kiss you?"

"Soon." He squeezed Carlos tight before getting up. "Very soon. Now get up. Your birthday breakfast is done."

Carlos bounced into the kitchen, running into Logan on the way.

"Hey man, happy birthday." Logan pulled him into a hug then put up his finger, signaling Carlos to stay where he was. After running back into his room, he came back with a card. "It isn't much, but I figured you'd like it. I hope you do."

Carlos ripped the envelope open, smiling when forty bucks fell out. He pulled the card out and laughed when it started to sing 'happy birthday' to him. He dug back into the envelope and pulled out a gift card.

"150 bucks to Sports Authority!"

"After I told him about your little indoor hockey accident, Dak figured you'd need some new equipment."

"Thanks, man!" Carlos pulled Logan into another hug before walking out into the kitchen. "Tell D-Man I say thanks, next time you see him."

"Will do." When they entered the kitchen, Carlos sat down at the head of the table, smiling when he saw Kendall helping his mom cook.

"Kendall's cooking? Is there a special reason that you're trying to kill us, mom?" Katie sat down and crossed her arms. Kendall shot her a glare before putting the food on the table and taking a seat next to Carlos.

"All of your favorite breakfast foods." Carlos looked around the table. Kendall had put a lot of effort into the meal and he couldn't help but blush. "I hope you like it." Kendall grabbed Carlos' hand under the table and squeezed it. Carlos smiled and looked up, immediately seeing Logan's mischievous smile. He kicked him and Logan laughed.

"Well, finally." Everyone looked over at him. "I mean, let's eat!"

* * *

><p><strong>July 2011<strong>

* * *

><p>Four months. It had been about four months since they'd actually started dating and Carlos couldn't help but wonder why Kendall hadn't<em> 'actually kissed'<em> him yet. They'd exchanged little pecks here and there, and Kendall was the king of forehead kisses, but they hadn't actually kissed since February.

The boys were spending the day at an Independence Day fair. As soon as they'd gotten there, everyone went their separate ways. Carlos and Kendall were off to tackle the roller coasters, Logan was off to find Dak, James off to find a lonely girl to pursue, and Mrs. Knight was focusing on trying to keep Katie from swindling people out of their money.

Logan waltzed aimlessly through the fair before being pulled into the House of Mirrors.

"Hey." Dak whispered before kissing Logan's cheek. "Sorry for the surprise kidnapping. No reception in here."

"You almost gave me a heart attack." Dak smiled and Logan wrapped an arm around his waist. "You're lucky you're cute. What do you want to do first?"

"Well," Dak pushed Logan up against one of the mirrors. "now that you mention it I would enjoy putting the mirrors to good use." The shorter boy laughed and Dak pulled him into a kiss. Logan moaned into the kiss when Dak's hand snaked it's way down the front of his pants to unbutton them.

"Wait, stop."

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know how many angles of reflection these mirrors have?" Dak laughed.

"A lot? Maybe?"

"Exactly, someone could be watching us right now." Dak sighed and took Logan's hand in his, leading him toward the front of the Fun House.

"You're right. We can just go get food or someth-" The popstar's comment was cut off by Logan's mouth on his.

"I didn't say we had to stop. Just a location change." Logan looked around before pulling Dak to a forgotten space behind the Ferris Wheel. After what Dak pulled, there was no way Logan was leaving this fair a virgin. He'd made that clear.

* * *

><p>"You better now?" Kendall rubbed Carlos stomach in circles, trying to ease the smaller boy's nausea. Carlos nodded, hugging his giant stuffed panda bear close.<p>

"I shouldn't have eaten all those corn dogs then gone on the Scrambler." Carlos leaned up and kissed Kendall's chin. "Thanks for winning Bamboo for me." Kendall smiled and kissed Carlos' forehead.

"I'm your boyfriend. That's my job." Kendall looked at his watch then stood. "We should go."

"Go where?" Kendall just smirked at began to drag Carlos toward the parking lot. When they'd reached the front gate, Carlos noticed that there were a few others joining them. "Kendall, why are we-"

Before he could finish, the first firework went shooting into the sky. They both moved to sit on a small patch of grass. Kendall looked over and in that moment he realized why he loved Carlos the way he did. Every little thing amazed him, no matter how simple. A particularly bright firework exploded in the sky and Kendall got a full view of Carlos' face. He put a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder and smiled when he looked up at him. He moved his hand up to the back of Carlos' neck and pulled him into a soft kiss. They stayed together this way for a while, then Carlos pulled away, leaving Kendall to pepper kisses all over his face.

"Kenny." A kiss on his chin. "We should go." A kiss on the cheek. "They guys are probably waiting." A kiss on the nose. "People are staring."

"Let 'em stare." Carlos squirmed when he felt Kendall's hand slip from his neck and down his chest to unbutton his pants. Kendall took a breath in and slipped his hand into the smaller boy's jeans. Carlos' head fell back against his stuffed panda and Kendall took this as an invitation to nibble and kiss on his adam's apple.

"Seriously," Carlos' breathing became labored and speaking seemed almost impossible. "Come on, Kenny"

"Be patient and you can." Kendall chuckled and Carlos' groaned. The blonde couldn't tell if it was caused by the immature comment or the fact that he'd just slipped his hand into his boxers and was now stroking him slowly.

"Oh god, Kendall." Carlos sighed when Kendall moved up to kiss behind his ear. "Stop."

"Do you really want me to stop?" Carlos licked his lips and nodded.

"Yes, Kendall. Stop." Kendall removed his hands from Carlos' pants and backed away quickly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Carlos pulled him into a kiss then hugged him.

"It's not that I don't want you. I'd just prefer to not lose my virginity in the parking lot of a street fair." He held Kendall's face and pushed his hair away from his eyes. "It's not you, I promise."

Kendall smiled and kissed Carlos' forehead.

"We should get back now."

* * *

><p><strong>Horrible chapter. Horrible ending. Horrible at updating. The story's going to end soon anywho. Review if you want. :)-<strong>


	9. Kendall loves Carlos

**September 2011**

* * *

><p>For Logan's birthday, the boys decided to go all out. By some unknown magical occurrence, they got Mercedes to lend them her house. Dak did all the rest. The celebrity guests, the DJ, the food. This was hands down, the best party Logan had ever been to.<p>

"Babe, you didn't have to do all this for me." They all agreed that Logan deserved it. Being the go to advice giver and problem solver wasn't easy, but he'd pulled it off for the past 6 years. "Really, thank you."

"Only the best for the best." Dak smiled and handed Logan a drink. "But you should be thanking the guys, not me. I just paid for it all. They planned it." Logan opened his arms and gave the guys a group hug. He ran off with Dak toward the dance floor and James disappeared into the crowd after apparently seeing one of Dak's Varsity Vampire cast mates.

"I have a surprise for you upstairs." Carlos turned around and glared at Kendall, who was standing behind him acting suspiciously well behaved.

"What kind of surprise?"

"One that you'll like." He pecked him on the cheek and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the second floor. He pushed open the door and let Carlos in before closing it tight and turning the lock.

"Kendall, what's all this for?" Kendall swooped in behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist.

"We've been dating for about six months and haven't gone on an official date yet." He walked over to the small table and pulled out a chair, motioning for Carlos to sit. "This is our first date and our six month celebration." He waited for Carlos to sit, pushed his chair in and kissed him on the cheek before sitting in the chair across from him.

"This is really romantic for a non-romantic to pull off."

"Actually, Logan helped me. _He_ set most of this up, really. I didn't tell him about us though, don't worry." Carlos looked over at Kendall and sighed. If only he knew how much Logan knew. "You hungry?" He nodded and Kendall lifted the lids from the plates and placed them on the dresser. Carlos laughed, which immediately brought a smile to the blonde's face. "You like it? The perfect meal, right?"

"I can't believe you remembered this."

* * *

><p><strong><em>December 2003<em>**

* * *

><p><em>"Carly?" Carlos had just fallen asleep but it wasn't deep enough to block out Kendall's voice. He mumbled a 'hmm?' and Kendall motioned from the door for Carlos to join him. "Why is Toni in the kitchen? He doesn't cook."<em>

_"He's trying to impress Leah." Carlos made sure to roll his eyes and make a farting noise after he said her name. Kendall laughed at this, of course. "He's making some fancy chicken and pasta. It looks gross." _

_"Why does he want to impress her?" Carlos shrugged and ran up the stairs to his room, Kendall shutting the door behind them. _

_"He said something about cooking and love and other gross, mushy stuff." The small brunette jumped onto the bed and folded his arms. "He says 'I love you' to stupid Leah but my mom has to yell at him to say it to me." Kendall knew that Leah being around made Carlos grumpy, so he tried to change the subject. _

_"What would you cook for your girlfriend?" _

_"Nothing! Girls are stupid." Carlos sat up, crossed his arms, closed his eyes, stuck out his tongue and shook his head. He laughed along with Kendall when he opened his eyes again. _

_"Then what would you want your girlfriend to cook for you?" Carlos made a disgusted face at the word '_girlfriend_' then put his hand to his chin as if he were deep in thought. _

_"I'd want dinosaur chicken nuggets, but only the perfect T-Rex's and Stegosauruses, none of the blobby ones. I want smiley fries, only the ones with the full smiley faces. Peanut butter and jelly with the crust cut off and the peanut butter on the bottom. Then, I want a root-beer float with vanilla bean ice cream, and a chocolate cake with confetti sprinkles and caramel cream filling. Oh, and strawberries!" _

_"That's a lot of food." Kendall climbed onto the bed and sat next to Carlos. "How are you gonna eat all of that by yourself?" _

_"You can eat it with me." The two laughed, now pretending to eat all of Carlos' perfect meal and stuffing their shirts with his pillows, falling out on the floor to rub their giant stomachs. _

_"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU GUYS TO GO TO SLEEP!" Came a yell from downstairs that made the two laugh harder. _

* * *

><p>Carlos couldn't believe that Kendall not only remembered his perfect date meal, but he actually made it.<p>

"The cakes downstairs with the root-beer and the ice cream. Do you know how long it took to find a chocolate cake with caramel cream filling?"

"Wow." Carlos was speechless. He couldn't think of one word to say that could possibly describe what he was feeling.

"Good wow or bad wow?" He looked up and Kendall smiled at him. Something in Kendall's eyes brought him back to that first day in preschool when they met. It was like they were kids again. "Carlos?"

"It's perfect." Kendall smiled wider and did a dance in his chair that made Carlos laugh. The boys ate their food and Carlos sat back in his chair. "You were right. It was a lot of food."

"Plus dessert." Carlos groaned and stood up, stretching his back before falling out on the bed. After a few minutes, Kendall joined him. "You know what's funny? When I think about my childhood, I don't think too much about my family."

"What do you mean?" Carlos turned over to face Kendall, urging him to finish his story.

"When people ask about childhood memories, I always talk about you. I never talk about camp, or Katie being born, or my dad. Just you. You're my childhood, Carly." Carlos could feel tears welling up in his eyes and Kendall reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"You haven't called me Carly in a while." Kendall moved his free hand up to settle on Carlos' neck, rubbing the skin around his ear with his thumb. "It's nice."

"Remember that time when you fell off the slide in first grade?"

"And I thought I broke my back, so you gave me piggybacks for the rest of the week." Carlos sat up. "Wait a minute."

"What's wrong?"

"Weren't there strawberries in my perfect dinner menu?" Kendall nodded and Carlos stuck out his bottom lip. "So you ruined my perfect dinner?"

"I was hoping you'd ask." Kendall leaned over to give Carlos a quick kiss before jumping off the bed and running toward the door. "Be right back, don't move!" Carlos got up and looked around the room, noting small details in the curtains and chairs. He wanted to remember every single thing about this night. He heard the music and chatter filter into the room, then stop.

"I thought I told you to wait there?" Kendall asked, gesturing to the bed.

"I need to move around. You know how restless my legs get." Kendall set the platter he was holding down on the foot of the bed before pulling Carlos over to him. "Let me guess-"

Kendall pulled the lid off and under it were about 2 dozen chocolate covered strawberries. "Now, it's perfect." Kendall reached down and grabbed one, lifting it to Carlos' mouth.

"I can feed myself, you know?" Kendall laughed.

"It's supposed to be romantic and sexy." Carlos' face twisted and Kendall laughed again. "Just eat it!" Carlos bit into the fruit, groaning as the juice dripped down his chin to his neck.

"How is this supposed to be sexy?" Carlos reached for a napkin, but Kendall stopped him. The blonde leaned forward and kissed Carlos, making sure to suck the juice off of his chin before following the trail with his tongue. "_Oh_."

Kendall chuckled and popped a strawberry into his mouth. Carlos leaned forward and kissed the blonde, tongue slipping between his lips. "Well, Carlos. I didn't know you were the type to do this on the first date."

"Shut up." Carlos was ready to dive back in, but Kendall stopped him and jumped off the bed. "Where are you going?"

"You have to promise me something." Carlos nodded, though he was growing impatient. "Anything that happens tonight, whether we just make out or actually have sex, you have to promise that you won't regret it."

"I won't."

"Promise me!" Kendall stuck out his pinky.

* * *

><p><strong>November 2003<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Carlos? What're you doing here?" He helped his friend climb into his window and rubbed his back when Carlos latched onto him.<em>

_"Mom said he's gonna be fine, but I'm scared Ken." Carlos had run all the way to Kendall's house that night. When his mom had gotten the call that her husband had been shot, Carlos locked himself in his room. Antonio probably didn't even know that he had left. _

_"Scared of what?" Carlos shook his head and Kendall dragged him to his bed, sitting him down and holding onto his shoulders. "What happened?" _

_"My dad got shot and he's in the hospital. She said he's fine but I'm scared." Kendall's arms fell to his sides. The situation almost immediately brought back memories of his father dying. The weeks of nightmares he had of things exploding, killing his entire family, or what was left of it. The countless times his mother had cried in past year all came rushing back, like an avalanche. But he didn't want to cry, not when Carlos was upset like this. He had to protect Carlos, keep him happy. That was his job. That was his Carlos. "What if he dies?" _

_Carlos realized after he asked the question that Kendall had gone through this already, just a year ago. He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up to see that Kendall was holding back tears of his own. "Kenny, I totally forgot. I'm so sorry-" _

_"It's okay." He shook his head and wiped his face, then ran to the bathroom to blow his nose. When he got back, he sat next to Carlos and threw his arm over his shoulder. "Your dad will be fine. You told me yourself that Garcias are indestructible." _

_"That was when I broke my arm, Ken. This is different." _

_"Your dad will be fine. I promise." Kendall pushed Carlos back and looked into his eyes. "Promise me something?" _

_"What?" _

_"That no matter what happens to us, we'll always be able to come to each other for everything. Because that's what best friends do." _

_"Of course." Kendall stuck out his pinky and Carlos laughed. _

_"Promise me!" _

_"I promise!" Carlos linked his pinky with Kendall's, laughing. Kendall leaned forward and kissed Carlos' forehead. _

_"Now, don't be sad." Carlos nodded and laid down. "Go to sleep and when you wake up, your dad'll be fine. I promise." _

_And as usual, Kendall was right. _

* * *

><p>Carlos linked his pinky with Kendall's. "I promise."<p>

"Good." Kendall leaned forward and kissed Carlos' forehead. "So how should we do this?"

"You're asking the group virgin how to have sex?" Kendall laughed.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, most of the people had cleared out. A few stragglers were left, mostly drunken teenagers waiting for rides. Logan was trying his best to clean things up before he and the boys had to leave.<p>

"Hey, no cleaning on your birthday." Logan turned and was surprised to see James behind him, motioning for the vacuum.

"Thanks, man." Logan sat on the couch, watching James vacuum the area near the front door. "You have fun?" James nodded and continued looking down. "Meet any girls?"

"They were all kind of stuck up. No offense to your boyfriend or anything." James turned the appliance off and sat next to Logan on the couch, keeping a good foot of distance between them. "Stuck up, rich girls are all that live in L.A."

"Yeah." Logan made a note of how uncomfortable James looked and laughed.

"What?"

"I'm not contagious, you know?" Logan moved closer to James and sighed. "We haven't really been that close since you read my letter. I haven't talked to you alone in months. It's like you're afraid of me or something."

"Not afraid, I just don't know what to say."

"Maybe say that things won't be awkward between us anymore? If I got over it, you can."

"It's weird, though."

"Me being gay or me liking you?"

"Neither." Logan looked at James and laughed.

"What's weird, then?"

"I'm kind of jealous of Dak." Logan's eyes widened and James shrugged. "I'm not gay or anything. I just miss the way you would act around me, a little." Logan laughed harder at this than he had at anything in a while.

"You're jealous of my boyfriend because I don't go gaga when you enter a room anymore?" James nodded and laughed. "It's not like you knew I liked you before I wrote you the letter."

"I didn't but after you told me, you stopped finding reasons to hang around me. It was lonely and my ego missed your compliments." The two sat and laughed for a while before Logan turned to James and stuck his hand out.

"Back to being best friends?" James smiled and slapped his hand.

"'Course we are. Happy birthday, man."

* * *

><p>"Oh god." Kendall looked up at Carlos, immediately stopping.<p>

"What, did I hurt you?"

"No, just do whatever you just did again. _Please_." Kendall smirked and thrust back into Carlos.

"So you like it?" Carlos nodded, chewing on his lip. "Good. I bet I'm the only person who can make you feel like this."

"Kendall-" Carlos ran his hands down Kendall's back, pulling him down to him, and biting on the skin around his neck.

"Oh god, 'Los." Kendall punctuated his sentence with one sharp thrust that threw Carlos into hysterics. He came, fast and hard, with Kendall stroking him in the same rhythm as his hips. Kendall came a few seconds later, the look on Carlos' face and the heat in the room driving him over the edge. "Oh god, I love you." Kendall fell back onto the bed, attempting to catch his breath.

Carlos had barely caught the comment, what with him seeing stars. When he finally touched back down to earth, he turned over to Kendall. "What did you say?" Kendall turned over to face Carlos, their noses practically touching.

"I said I love you. We've been saying it since we were six, dude." Carlos smiled and Kendall used what little energy he had to run a hand through Carlos' hair. "Did you think that I didn't mean it all that time?"

"Well we were little, I didn't think it-" Kendall leaned forward and kissed Carlos. It wasn't rushed or hot and heavy, but passionate and loving and warm. It made his head spin, he felt fuzzy inside, and many other romance cliches.

"I love you, Carlos. I've meant it since we were little. Maybe I didn't actually understand it _then_, but it's definitely had a meaning since sixth grade at the latest."

* * *

><p><strong><em>June 2007<em>**

* * *

><p><em>Carlos had memorized Kendall's schedule and knew that he wouldn't show up for lunch until after the bell rang. He made sure to sneak out of class a little early so that he could set up his surprise for his friend's 13th birthday. He tied a single balloon to the front of his locker and he was finished, just as the bell rang.<em>

_A few minutes later, Kendall walked into the hallway, smiling when he saw Carlos at his locker. "It's 12:15. I'm a teenager!" He ran over to Carlos, trying to hug him before too many people crowded the hallway. "We're gonna be late for lunch."_

_"Don't you want to put your books away first?" Carlos looked away from Kendall suspiciously and the blonde knew that something was waiting in his locker. He undid his locked and whipped the door open, smiling when dozens of blown up water balloons came pouring out. "Happy birthday, Kenny!"_

_Kendall reached in and pulled out the card taped to the back of the locker and read it out loud._

**_To: Kenny_**

**_From: Carly  
><em>**

**_ps: I still need a new nickname. _**

_"You're never getting a new nickname." Carlos pouted._

_"Before you finish reading it, it's kind of stupid but it's all I could do." Kendall smiled, looking back down at the card._

__K is for all the times we played knights of the round table when we were little.__

_E is for the time we had that egg fight in your kitchen when we were making cakes with Katie._

_N is for all the times you called me "No Pants Garcia" after all the times I ate your snack cakes and broke the dibs rule._

_D is for our dads. This may make you sad but he was the first thing you ever talked to me about. In first grade you told me all about how he was a superhero and I felt the same way about my dad. That's why we became friends._

_A is for August 10, 2004. The day I got stuck with your stupid nickname._

_L is for Leah who you hated just because I hated, even though she's my sister now._

_L is for LOVE YOU KENNY!_

_Happy birthday, Kendall :)_

_Kendall looked up at Carlos, who immediately was concerned by the look on his face. "It was stupid right? Did the thing about your dad make you sad? I knew I shouldn't have put it in there. I'm sorry, Ken. Really." _

_"No. It's the nicest, best gift anyone's ever given me. Just don't tell Logan that. He thinks I really wanted that Junior Scientist kit." Carlos laughed and Kendall hugged him tight. _

_"Love you, buddy." Carlos threw his arm over Kendall's shoulder as the two started their walk to lunch. Kendall realized that Carlos isn't just a best friend. They were something more than that. He couldn't give it a name, but he knew that if he ever had to live without Carlos, he'd probably die. _

_"Love you too, Carly." _

* * *

><p>"I don't know how to explain it, Carlos. We just fit together. We always have." Kendall became aware of the pensive look on Carlos' face. "You think it's too soon?"<p>

"Soul-mates."

"What?"

"That's how to explain it. We were kinda meant to find each other. Soul-mates." Kendall nodded in agreement and sat up.

"Well, soulmate, we should get our clothes on before one of the guys comes looking for us."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I haven't updated this story in a long time. So I tripled the size of this chapter! Sorry if there are any spelling errors. I wrote it early in the morning and was eager to get it out. Enjoy. :)-<strong>


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